The difference a single person can make
by The Final Conduit
Summary: Set in an alternative world, where Itachi was himself not involved in the Uchiha massacre. Itachi had watched Sasuke grow over the years, watching as he grew accustomed to life in the Leaf Village. Now, it was Sasuke's turn to help a person's life. Contains a less revenge bent Sasuke.


The boy was alone, sitting with his legs on either side of the swing.

His sunny yellow blonde hair was in many messy locks, his bright yet deep aqua blue eyes aimed slightly at the ground, his hands gripped around one side of the swing set, his body language consisting of sagging shoulders, as though the boy himself had gravity pulling down on his body more strongly than others.

He watched the building, and, more the thing of his interest, the people crowded outside of it.

He watched, his eyes filled with a deep layer of melancholy.

Multiple families would be out, trying to help support their children so that

Everyone had a place to go home too.

Everyone... except him.

He looked down bitterly.

Besides the Hokage, the boy's grandfather figure, who was genuinely very aged, despite him being given the title of the strongest ninja in his village, and his teacher, Iruka, a chunin - the second rank for all ninja for any village - who had a scar over the bridge of his nose, were the only people who were like family to him.

He didn't have anyone else.

Not even a single friend...

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha, a boy who went to the same class as the lonely boy on the swing, who had jet black hair and pitch black eyes, threw a shuriken - metal star shaped objects who had finger sized holes in the center of them - and watched as it spun through the air, implanting itself inside of the dummy's targeted area: the same place a person's heart usually was.

"Do it again." A voice of a person much older than him spoke.

A man stood in the shade, leaning against a tree trunk with crossed arms.

Sasuke mentally sighed, running at the dummy again at quick speed, hopping back and landing gracefully on his feet.

Waiting for the elder man's signal, Sasuke sped through the ground, his feet barely making a sound as he sped through the grassy plains, the sun casting him a shadow that became his clone, copying his movements while making a slightly malformed image of its owner due to the high grass.

His foot made a powerful crunch as it hit the ground, making him soar as leaped through the air, like a lion lunging for its prey.

He took a shuriken, pushing his middle finger through the hole in the shrunken, pulling it out and throwing it at the dummy again, the weapon hitting its mark again, perfectly.

The chances of a person surviving would be low if the dummy was an actual person.

Yet, even before Sasuke landed on the ground, he could hear the same voice, calm and deep as it was, repeat itself, "Again."

Sasuke whipped around and glared at the person who was under the shade of the tree, his irritation growing quickly.

"Why am I even doing this?!" He yelled.

The waved nonchalantly, smiling at him, "It's to hone your skills as a ninja. You must be completely silent in order for you to do missions while not being found out." He smiled wider at his expression.

Sasuke walked up to him rather aggressively, "You always say that! Why can't we do something else?!" He complained, his anger flaring so quickly that only the man before him could accomplish doing this without much difficulty.

The man looked at him for a long time, the smile dropping from his face, as though he was considering him.

Then he pressed two fingers against his fore-head, "Sorry Sasuke, maybe some other time."

He glared at him darkly, to which he responded by smiling again, "Now, let's go through the exercise again."

Sasuke sighed angrily, walking off and going into the grass, repeating the exercise when he got the signal.

Itachi Uchiha watched as his brother ran through the grass, barely making a sound, so well hidden that most would only hear him if they had extra sensitive hearing.

Most.

He counted down from three, and saw that Sasuke leaped from his hiding spot, just when he was about to reach "0".

He saw Sasuke prepare to do something, but instead of the usual shuriken, he went through several hand signs, ending in the tiger sign.

Itachi watched as the boy, now a human flame thrower, blew out a fiery column of flame.

It completely burned the entire dummy to ashes, leaving nothing for anyone to salvage.

This time Itachi walked out to Sasuke, the flames still licking the air.

"Sasuke..." his younger brother looked to him, waiting for him to continue what he had to say. He walked and kept going until he was in front of Sasuke, the flames filling their mutually pale skin with light.

Then, Itachi hit Sasuke on the head harshly, making him have to hold his head.

"Remember how I told you never to show off your ninjustu to anyone, unless completely necessary?"

"Y-Yeah. You said that the enemy was someone you couldn't ever show your techniques or ninjustu to." Sasuke still held his head in pain.

"It'd do you very good to remember that," Itachi continued, "If there are more than one ninjas around, there's a very small chance that it'll take out your enemies before they can study your justu."

Sasuke nodded, "I just wanted to blow off steam..."

"Why Sasuke?" Itachi said innocently, his smile on the contrary to his voice.

"You keep giving me the same crappy exercise to do!"

"You must learn to watch your language Sasuke," Itachi responded calmly.

"It's hard to do that when you're pissing me off!"

"A ninjas must learn to keep calm at all times." Itachi spoke, his voice suddenly businesslike.

Sasuke scowled.

"Now..." Itachi walked away, hands in his pockets, calling back to him, "Again."

"What? What do you mean? I can't do that! The dummy's destroyed!"

"I do not recall that being my problem." He called back.

Sasuke scowled again, watching the still burning dummy as it faded gradually to ashes.

He sighed.

His brother could be so annoying sometimes...

* * *

The boys both simultaneously sighed, not knowing that they would have their fates intertwined with the others very soon...


End file.
